Proposal Manager – Federal Government Contracting

ProVets Consulting Group; Fairfax (VA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

ProVets Consulting Group, LLC seeks an experienced Proposal Manager to lead the development of compliant federal proposals supporting growth. The role is hands-on, guiding contributors from solicitation release through final submission, coordinating with senior leadership, capture, pricing, and teaming partners.

This position requires strong writing and editing skills, plus the ability to manage schedules, compliance matrices, and color-team reviews (Pink/Red/Gold).

Qualifications

• Five+ years of federal proposal development experience for government contractor opportunities.
• Experience drafting proposals for professional services including staffing and past performance content.
• Knowledge of FAR related to proposal preparation and compliance.
• Ability to interpret solicitation instructions and evaluation criteria.
• Proven ability to lead color team reviews and incorporate feedback.
• Strong writing, editing, and persuasive content development.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end development of responses to RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, and task orders.
• Analyze solicitations and amendments to identify requirements and risks.
• Develop and manage proposal schedules, outlines, and submission checklists.
• Coordinate contributors across departments and teaming partners.
• Write, edit, and integrate proposal content and executive summaries.
• Plan color team reviews and track resolution of review comments.
• Ensure consistency between technical, staffing, and pricing volumes.
• Oversee final document production, formatting, and submission.
• Maintain and improve reusable content and templates.

Skills

Proposal development

Federal contracting

Writing and editing

Program coordination

Color team leadership

Microsoft Word proficiency

SAM.gov / GSA eBuy familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in English / Communications

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

PowerPoint

PDF editing

Job description

Description

Location: Remote within the Washington, DC metropolitan area (Virginia, Maryland, or Washington, DC), with occasional in-person meetings in Northern Virginia.

ProVets Consulting Group, LLC, seeks an experienced Proposal Manager to lead the development of compelling, compliant proposals supporting our federal government contracting growth. The ideal candidate brings direct experience managing federal proposals for a government contractor, strong writing and editing skills, and the ability to guide contributors from solicitation release through final submission.

This is a hands‑on role that combines proposal leadership, content development, and coordination with company leadership, subject matter experts, capture personnel, pricing contributors, and industry partners.

Requirements

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end development of responses to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Quotations (RFQs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Sources Sought notices, and task order solicitations.
• Analyze solicitations, statements of work, proposal instructions, evaluation criteria, and amendments to identify requirements, submission risks, and questions requiring clarification.
• Develop and manage proposal schedules, compliance matrices, outlines, writing assignments, and submission checklists.
• Conduct proposal kickoff meetings, establish contributor expectations, track progress, and promptly communicate risks or delays to leadership.
• Write, edit, and integrate proposal content, including executive summaries, management approaches, staffing plans, past performance narratives, and corporate experience.
• Work with capture personnel and leadership to translate customer priorities, company capabilities, and competitive differentiators into persuasive proposal content.
• Coordinate contributions from employees, subject matter experts, subcontractors, and teaming partners to produce a cohesive response.
• Plan and lead proposal color team reviews, including Pink, Red, and Gold Team reviews as appropriate to the opportunity. Establish review objectives, coordinate reviewers, consolidate feedback, and ensure revisions address solicitation requirements, evaluation criteria, and the company’s win strategy.
• Track review comments through resolution and oversee revisions through final leadership approval.
• Coordinate with pricing contributors to ensure consistency between technical, staffing, and pricing volumes.
• Manage final document production, formatting, quality checks, and submission through the required method; retain submission records and confirmations.
• Maintain and improve proposal templates, reusable content, capability statements, past performance records, resumes, and other business development materials.
• Support opportunity research and qualification using SAM.gov, GSA eBuy, and other relevant platforms.
• Capture lessons learned and recommend improvements to proposal processes, content, and tools.

Required Qualifications

• At least five years of proposal development experience supporting U.S. federal government opportunities for a government contractor, including demonstrated responsibility for independently managing proposals from kickoff through submission.
• Experience preparing proposals for professional services, including technical, management, staffing, and past performance content.
• Bachelor’s degree in English, Communications, Business, Marketing, Journalism, or a related field; additional directly relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) as it relates to proposal preparation and solicitation compliance.
• Ability to interpret solicitation instructions and evaluation criteria, including Sections L and M when applicable, and translate requirements into actionable proposal plans.
• Demonstrated ability to write, edit, and organize clear, persuasive content tailored to customer requirements.
• Experience developing compliance matrices and preparing proposals for final submission.
• Demonstrated experience managing proposal color team reviews or equivalent structured review processes, including preparing review materials, guiding reviewers, resolving comments, and incorporating feedback into a compliant, persuasive final submission.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage concurrent proposals, competing priorities, and firm deadlines.
• Ability to lead contributors without direct supervisory authority, communicate expectations clearly, and resolve issues professionally.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, including styles, templates, tables, and document formatting; proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, collaboration tools, and PDF editing software.
• Familiarity with SAM.gov and GSA eBuy.
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment while remaining responsive and collaborative during established core business hours.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting small business federal contractors, including 8(a) and Service‑Disabled Veteran‑Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) opportunities.
• Experience with GSA Multiple Award Schedule proposals or task orders, Government‑Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), and other indefinite‑delivery/indefinite‑quantity (IDIQ) vehicles.
• Familiarity with Shipley or comparable proposal development methods; Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) certification.
• Experience supporting capture research, opportunity qualification, and bid/no‑bid recommendations.
• Experience coordinating cost or price volumes and contributing to pricing narratives, assumptions, and supporting documentation.
• Familiarity with labor category mapping, direct and indirect costs, escalation assumptions, and the relationship between staffing approaches and pricing.
• Experience with proposals involving Service Contract Labor Standards, commonly referred to as the Service Contract Act (SCA).
• Experience using GovWin, GovTribe, or comparable opportunity research and pipeline management tools.
• Experience developing proposal graphics or working with graphic design contributors.

Work Environment

This position is remote, with occasional travel to Northern Virginia for proposal planning, team collaboration, or business meetings. The Proposal Manager must be available during established core business hours and able to accommodate occasional evening or weekend work when necessary to meet proposal deadlines.

Additional Information

ProVets is an equal opportunity employer

Pay is commensurate with experience and certifications